Jill pushed open the door to the study.
The room was huge, infact it was one of the largest rooms in the house,
with wall to wall bookshelves just teaming with old and ancient hard backs.
The musty air hit her nostrils which signified that the room itself was
left without a regular cleaning for quite some time.She heard the sound of her grandmother’s voice
in the hallway outside calling her name. Jill became apprehensive
of what she might say; finding her in the old study as the old lady guarded
everything from prying eyes. Visitors were rare these days and Jill
felt privileged to be there.“Ahh, there you are.” the old lady said as
she was being wheel chaired into the study by her aid. Jill smiled
and looked around her. “You can leave us now.” the old lady commanded,
dismissing the stone faced woman from her faithful duties. “I wish
to talk to my granddaughter in private.”

They both talked about the room and how it
served its purpose in the past as a meeting place with both the old lady’s
husband and herself. Famous scientists who would visit them to talk
about their work and shared interests. “That was when your grandfather
and I were well known.” the old lady reminisced. A gentle smile crossed
her lips as she reached for an old framed photograph on the large oak table.
A photograph of herself when she was the age of Jill.

Jill stood beside her and noticed the exacting
resemblance. The hairstyle was all that gave a difference.
“I was like you in every way. Perhaps I was a little more adventurous.”
Jill smiled at her and gave a hug. The old lady pointed out a scrap
book on the table and told her to open it gently. Jill opened it
to where it would. The pressed remnants of a large flower displayed
itself, still in all its multicoloured glory of yellows, pinks and deep
red.

“Gran, that is so beautiful. What kind
of flower is it?” Jill asked. The old lady wheeled herself
up beside the girl. “Those colours, so rich and so well preserved.”

“The paper is treated with a chemical that
keeps it fresh. Don’t let the air soil it too much or it will fade.
It is the only sample in this part of the world of the most rarest orchid.
Even today, it is so hard to find one.” the old lady explained.
“I found it in the rainforests of Brazil and I can remember it quite clearly.
Something that I will never forget.”

“Tell me about it?” Jill asked excitedly.
The old lady smiled and thought different about telling her tale.
It was afterall a secret that only she and another knew about. Jill
insisted on knowing the tale, her inquisitive mind needed to know everything
there was. The old lady thought for a while and then came to terms
with her age. She was dying and the secret would die with her.
But then why should it? It was all in the past now and the way people
think today was so different to then.

The two sat together in the garden later that
day in the shade of the trees that were plotted here and there. It
was tea on the lawn, and the chance for the old lady to tell her story
to Jill.

Marion Moore had been married to her husband
just six months. They were both scientists and their work in search
of rare plants took them all over the world, even before they were married.
She learned a great deal from Francis as he was her tutor at university
before they teamed up. He was tall handsome and very much an intellectual
as much as she was. They were very much in love and matched each
other perfect. Marion was shorter than he and so petite, but she
had brains as well as beauty and both became well known in their Royal
Society circle of colleagues.

The Amazon River, as wide as the sea, took
them deeper into the rainforest as they travelled for days on end to reach
a certain location on the river barge. The waters seemed calm, but
they were infested by creatures that would do men harm from small waterbound
insects to the ferocious caymen. And to be safe the barge passed by the
southern bank by only a few metres, so that the location they sought could
be easily found.

Marion wanted so much to swim or bathe to clean
her body from the sweat caused by the humid climate. Francis insisted
there was no way they could until they found what they were looking for.

Barku and his fellow navigator Tino, comprised
of the crew. Both young men, indians who had lived on the banks of
the mighty Amazon all their lives knew the river well. Barku was
the most handsome of the two and Marion knew that he had been watching
her closely.

Barku understood the English language well
and watched from the stern as Marion argued with her husband over the issue
of washing. She glanced at Barku and smiled and he returned the gesture.
She had been flirting with him since their journey along the river began
and Francis, too busy to notice, ignored it. Their mission was so
intense that the couple had not made love since they arrived weeks ago
at Belem. Marion was becoming unsatisfied and not only desperate,
but her intentions looked toward the young navigator.

Night fell once more. The barge was moored
up to the bank with only the sound of the rainforest creatures to be heard.
The natural wildness of such a place was something both erry and profound.
Marion was still restless, unable to sleep unless she could wash.

Marion ordered Barku to fill a pail full
of fresh water and bring it to her on deck. Barku followed her instructions
as she stripped herself from the clothes she wore. He watched as
the beautiful english girl took each item of clothing from her body and
then she faced him. He was taken by her splendour as he looked at
her in amazement. His eyes looked upon her long blonde hair which
cascaded over her shoulders. The pale skin of her breasts tipped with the
most succulent of pink erect nipples made him feel so aroused. “Barku,
pour the water over my head slowly.” she commanded. To him
it was an heaven sent pleasure from the gods as he watched her lather her
skin, so smooth, so wet and glistening in the combined light of the lanterns
and moonshine. She knew how she made him feel and insisted he remain
beside her. Tino brought another fresh pail of cool water to rinse
away the soap and then headed back to the cabin after Barku’s stare of
disapproval.

Marion smiled at him, promoting him to
pour the second pail over her. The cool water flowed over her body as she
swept her hands over her skin to clear the soap. She looked at him
and her eyes said everything about how she felt for him. No words
were spoken and both of them knew that this was going somewhere further
somehow. But not that night.

The dawn soon came and once more the
barge headed up river. Francis was sure that they were near the village
he was looking for as he tried to make sense of the old maps. Marion,
still feeling the worst for their long journey, prepared the meal on deck
looked upon by Baku at the helm as they exchanged glances between each
other.

“There! That’s it!” Francis
called out. He pointed up the bank to a small indian settlement.
“That is it! I can tell by that line of trees leading up the hill.
It matches the drawing perfectly.” They all stood and followed his
stare toward the bank and sure enough it did match the only means they
had of identifying the location as Marion took the drawing from the chest
and compared it with the vista before them.

Barku moored up the barge as the children
of the village greeted them and Tino whispered into his colleague’s ear.
“You looking to have the english woman?” Barku smiled in return ,
knowing that he was atleast in with a good chance very soon.

For a full day Francis and Marion were
guests to the people of the village as they exchanged gifts and used Tino
to interpret their strange dialect in order to get some exacting location
for what they searched for. The location was a clearing just over
the hill where they would find a stream leading into a still pond.
In there was to be found the variety of rare lily they sought. The
only place that it had been discovered and it was their mission to collect
samples for the Royal Botanic Gardens.

That evening Francis fell ill.
He was plagued by the onset of recurring malaria and in no fit condition
to make the walk to the clearing the following morning. He arranged
for Marion and Barku to make the journey alone.

Tino could smell the rain coming in the
air and turned to his friend as they lay in their tent. “The gods
are knowing of your intent. They bring the great rain early in anger.”
He said. Barku, who was wiser and educated ignored the warning with
a grin. “You can not contemplate on doing this. She belongs
to the professor who is now sick. Barku, think what would happen
if you get discovered.”

“I will do what my heart tells me to
do.” Barku replied. “You have seen the look upon her face.
She chooses me to make her happy.”

With the daylight came the rains as Tino
had sensed. Marion checked on her husband and placed another dampened
cloth onto his forehead leaving Tino to look after him. It would
take days for the fever to pass, should he be strong enough to survive
it. Marion pulled back the tent flap and saw Barku waiting under
a tree, sheltering from the downpour. She had second thoughts about
the trip.

“Tino, how far away is this stream?”
she asked. Tino told her that it would take them half a days walk
through the rainforest and across some hills. The locals had told
him that it was mostly dense forest and the trail would be dangerous in
the rain, especially on the high ground. She looked across at Barku
as Tino explained to her and he returned her glances. “I’m leaving.
We should be gone two days at most.”

“In the rain?” Tino asked. “It
is not good lady”

“I will be the judge of that. The
rains won’t last.” Marion kissed her husband and she run a gentle
hand across his face. “I will be back my darling. Take Care.”

Barku carried the haversack on his back
and led the way, chopping at the vines and clearing a way through the forest.
The rain filtered down through the tree canopy above, which made it more
wetter for them. There was the occasion when Marion would get her
boots caught in the vines and fall over. Barku was there to free
her with his trusty machete.

Soon they reached the hillside and the
muddy ridge trail that would lead to the stream. Marion looked at
the condition of the path. On one side a drop of twenty metres and
on the other a steep wall of rock that went up to another forest level.
In parts the path was so thin, that it needed to be negotiated one foot
at a time. The rain alone would make it hard to keep a steady hold.

Barku looked at her. Her hat was
so wet it lay flat against the top of her head and the jacket and trousers
she wore outlined her naked physique. Barku himself was now becoming
nervous. The path itself was going to be dangerous. “Lady,
I think we should go back.”

“No way Barku, we go on.” Marion
commanded. “Any ideas?” Barku looked at her and then at the
way ahead. Was it worth their lives just to be alone with her?
The twenty-metre drop fell into a lower level of dense forest. He
looked up and saw the pits in the side of the precipitous cliff.
Maybe there was a way of climbing over to the other side? They had
no rope and it would take hours to make one from the strongest vines.
For a river navigator, this was one tough mission into territory that was
out of his depth.

Marion pinned him against a tree and
kissed him. Slowly the kiss turned passionate and she looked deep
into his eyes. “Barku, you have to get me to that stream. If
you do this, then I promise you something you have only dreamed about.”
Once more the young man was fired with ardour to achieve their goal.

Barku led the way slowly along the ledge.
His hands gripped the sharp rock, cutting into the skin and grazing fingers
as he held on tight. The weighted haversack pulled against his balance
in the wrong direction. The rain soaked through his dark hair, sending
drops of water into his eyes. Marion followed, holding onto his belt
dangerously. One slip and they would both fall to their untimely
end. He realised that he was petrified of heights, but remained brave
against his own nerves. She slipped now and then, which made them
both recount their situation before moving on further. She gave him
reassuring looks every so often, realising herself that he was under stress.
Marion needed his strength to carry out her mission.

They spent many hours negotiating the
ledge until eventually the rain stopped. A few metres on and the
ledge widened into a path again. They hugged each other with delight
that they had survived the toughest part of the trek so far. But
the return journey however was to repeat their experiences. She allowed
Barku to kiss her passionately once more, this time it was more meaningful
to both of them.

Together they walked along the path until
they both heard the sound of the stream ahead. With quickness in
their pace they found the place that they were looking for.

The stream cascaded in a waterfall into
the wide pool. It was surrounded by a high ridge of rock in a semi-circular
shape. All around the side of the pool itself were hundreds of multi-coloured
flowering plants and vines. The pool was populated by so many different
varieties of lily. To Marion, it was what she expected to find.
But for Barku, it was one of the toughest trips he had ever made in his
life.

Marion pointed out the plants as she
excitedly came across them. The names she used meant nothing to him.
He just looked at her, absorbing her beauty and to him she was the most
prettiest flower around as far as he was concerned. Without hesitation,
she removed her clothes and dived into the pool. He watched on for
a while admiring her form in the clear fresh water.

“Barku, come and join me.” she called
to him. There was no one else around, not even another mammal, for
this was just a place reserved by nature for the plants, birds and insects.
They were alone.

Together they swam naked. Marion
collected the rare lilies she found of interest and Barku carefully packed
them into plastic containers. Then they both swam toward the refreshing
waterfall and showered in its crystal cascade. The sight became too
much for him to take. He could not hold on to his emotions any longer.
The golden hair and fair skinned angel was his for the taking.

He gently pushed her against the soft
grass of the bank and she put her arms around him. His manhood hard
against her thigh felt good to her. Marion was waiting for this moment
to happen. Barku took her pale breasts in his hands and cupped them.
Her irresistible pink nipples drew his lips upon them and he kissed them
gently, swirling his tongue around their pliant texture, enticing them
into hardened nubs. That feeling was what she had craved for such
a long time. Sex with Francis was so clinical, so quick. Atleast
with Barku, she could savour the real wild passion that she expected he
had untamed within him.

His hand caressed her skin as it moved
down her body, finding the tuft of pubic hair with his fingers he searched
for the opening through her lips to her love cavern, welcoming his fingers
with the warmth of her juices within. He knew exactly what to do
as he found her clitoris. She was no different to all the local girls
he had made love to. She had everything he wanted. But what
made it more important to him was, she was the untouchable yellow hair
angel from far far away.

He watched her eyes roll as he gently
manipulated her into an orgasmic frenzy. She cried out in loud whispers
for more. Slowly he slipped his stealth manhood into her, its length
penetrating deep inside made her gasp and then he began to probe her, gently
at first, moving faster still by each stroke. Marion was taken to
the levels of ecstasy she never knew existed. For Barku, he was doing
what he knew and enjoyed, but this time it was special. This was
his prize for risking both their lives and something for him to remember
for the rest of his life to come.

There was no point in rushing back to
the village. Marion gathered the plastic containers and packed them
safely into the haversack. Together they languished naked by the
pool, playing and enjoying their time in such a beautiful isolated part
of the world. Marion turned her head to look up as Barku ran his
hands over her smooth skin. She saw a single orchid growing on its
own. She had seen nothing like it ever before and to her it was unique
in its colours and form. “I have to take this.” she said. Barku
looked up and reached for it and gently snapped its stem, bringing it to
her face. The scent was so exotic and nothing in comparison to anything
she had known before.

Jill looked at her grandmother and smiled.
“Does it have a name, this rare orchid?” she asked.

“Of course. I discovered it and
today it is still one of the most rarest orchids in the world. Only
found in just one place in the Brazilian rainforest. It grows nowhere
else.”

“Tell me, what name does it have?”

“Barku Orchida Amazonas” the old woman
replied, repeating it twice over as she smiled.